ScienceDaily: Featured - October 13, 2024
Featured research news
New paradigm of drug discovery with world's first atomic editing?
Researchers have successfully develop single-atom editing technology that maximizes drug efficacy.
Image: OSweetNature/Shutterstock.com
'Inside-out' galaxy growth observed in the early universe
Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the 'inside-out' growth of a galaxy in the early universe, only 700 million years after the Big Bang.
New 3D printing technique creates unique objects quickly and with less waste
A new technique enables makers to finely tune the color, shade, and texture of 3D-printed objects using only one material. The method is faster and uses less material than other approaches.
Female crested gibbons display jerky, almost geometric patterns of movement. Researchers have studied these conspicuous movements, which are comparable to human dances. They describe the structure of the dances, their rhythm and the contexts in which the dances occur.
Genomic study identifies human, animal hair in 'man-eater' lions' teeth
Scientists analyzed hairs extracted from the broken teeth of two 19th century 'man-eater' lions. Their analysis revealed DNA from giraffe, human, oryx, waterbuck, wildebeest and zebra as prey, along with hairs that originated from the lions.
Scientists cut harmful pollution from hydrogen engines
Scientists have discovered a low-cost method to significantly reduce this pollution from hydrogen internal combustion engines by improving the efficiency of their catalytic converters. The researchers found that infusing platinum in catalytic converters with a highly porous material called Y zeolites greatly enhances the reactions between nitrogen oxides and hydrogen, converting unhealthful nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen gas and water vapor.
How your skin tone could affect your meds
Skin pigmentation may act as a 'sponge' for some medications, potentially influencing the speed with which active drugs reach their intended targets, a pair of scientists report.
A look into 'mirror molecules' may lead to new medicines
Chemists have developed a new chemical reaction that will allow researchers to synthesize selectively the left-handed or right-handed versions of 'mirror molecules' found in nature and assess them for potential use against cancer, infection, depression, inflammation and a host of other conditions.
'Islands' of regularity discovered in the famously chaotic three-body problem
When three massive objects meet in space, they influence each other through gravity in ways that evolve unpredictably. In a word: Chaos. That is the conventional understanding. Now, a researcher has discovered that such encounters often avoid chaos and instead follow regular patterns, where one of the objects is quickly expelled from the system. This new insight may prove vital for our understanding of gravitational waves and many other aspects of the universe.
Bilingualism makes the brain more efficient, especially when learned at a young age
A new study from The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill university, the University of Ottawa and the University of Zaragoza in Spain elaborates on bilingualism's role in cognition, showing increased efficiency of communication between brain regions.
Lightning strikes kick off a game of electron pinball in space
When lightning cracks on Earth, especially high-energy electrons may fall out of Earth's inner radiation belt, according to a new study -- an electron 'rain' that could threaten satellites, and even humans, in orbit.
They say that hindsight is 20/20, and though the theory of ecological speciation -- which holds that new species emerge in response to ecological changes -- seems to hold in retrospect, it has been difficult to demonstrate experimentally, until now. Biologists have identified a key connection between ecology and speciation in Darwin's finches, famous residents of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Prior work on these birds had established that birds' beaks adapt to changing ecological environments, and that beak changes affect how the birds sing. But, until this paper, no one has yet been able to experimentally show that such changes drive the emergence of new species. The innovative key to this discovery? The ghosts of future finches.
Loss of lake ice has wide-ranging environmental and societal consequences
The world's freshwater lakes are freezing over for shorter periods of time due to climate change. This shift has major implications for human safety, as well as water quality, biodiversity, and global nutrient cycles.
How a bunch of seemingly disorganized cells go on to form a robust embryo
Embryo development starts when a single egg cell is fertilized and starts dividing continuously. Initially a chaotic cluster, it gradually evolves into a highly organized structure. Scientists have now provided new insights into the process, emphasizing the critical role of both chaos and order.
A stiff material that stops vibrations and noise
Materials researchers have created a new composite material that combines two incompatible properties: stiff yet with a high damping capacity.
Catastrophically warm predictions are more plausible than we thought
Researchers developed a rating system to evaluate the plausibility of climate model simulations in the IPCC's latest report, and show that models that lead to potentially catastrophic warming are to be taken seriously.
Fossils and fires: Insights into early modern human activity in the jungles of Southeast Asia
Studying microscopic layers of dirt dug from the Tam Pa Ling cave site in northeastern Laos has provided a team of archaeologists further insights into some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia. The site, which has been studied for the past 14 years, has produced some of the earliest fossil evidence of our direct ancestors in Southeast Asia but now a new study has reconstructed the ground conditions in the cave between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago.
No bolts about it: New technology improves structural strength
Researchers have significantly improved a new joining technology, interlocking metasurfaces (ILMs), designed to increase the strength and stability of a structure in comparison to traditional techniques like bolts and adhesives, using shape memory alloys (SMAs). ILMs offer the potential to transform mechanical joint design in manufacturing for aerospace, robotics and biomedical devices.
The new fashion: Clothes that help combat rising temperatures
A team of international researchers has developed a natural fabric that urban residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt, and concrete.
Inspired by Spider-Man, a lab recreates web-slinging technology
Researchers took the imaginary scenes from Spider-Man seriously and created the first web-slinging technology in which a fluid material can shoot from a needle, immediately solidify as a string, and adhere to and lift objects.
NASA's Hubble watches Jupiter's Great Red Spot behave like a stress ball
Astronomers have observed Jupiter's legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow Earth, for at least 150 years. But there are always new surprises -- especially when NASA's Hubble Space Telescope takes a close-up look at it. Hubble's new observations of the famous red storm, collected 90 days between December 2023 to March 2024, reveal that the GRS is not as stable as it might look. The recent data show the GRS jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The combined Hubble images allowed astronomers to assemble a time-lapse movie of the squiggly behavior of the GRS.
Underwater caves yield new clues about Sicily's first residents
Archaeological surveys suggest that coastal and underwater cave sites in southern Sicily contain important new clues about the path and fate of early human migrants to the island.
Newly discovered Late Cretaceous birds may have carried heavy prey like extant raptors
Newly discovered birds from Late Cretaceous North America were hawk-sized and had powerful raptor-like feet, according to a new study.
Fungi don't have eyes or a brain, but their intelligent behaviors may surprise you. New research suggests that fungi may be able to recognize shapes.
Viruses are teeming on your toothbrush, showerhead
Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen before.
Having a sweet tooth is linked to higher risk of depression, diabetes, and stroke, study finds
People with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression, diabetes, and suffering a stroke, according to new research.
Adding vagus nerve stimulation to training sessions may boost how well sounds are perceived
Just as a musician can train to more sharply distinguish subtle differences in pitch, mammals can improve their ability to interpret hearing, vision, and other senses with practice. This process, which is called perceptual learning, may be enhanced by activating a major nerve that connects the brain to nearly every organ in the body, a new study in mice shows.
The secret to slimming? Special 'skinny genes' double weight loss
The secret to losing weight could all be down to a combination of 14 'skinny genes', a new study has found. Researchers discovered they helped people drop twice as much weight when they ran for half an hour three times a week. The team found those with more of the genes slimmed the most across eight weeks.
Toddlers show increased physical activity with a robot playmate moving around the room
Parents seeking help in encouraging toddlers to be physically active may soon need to look no further than an inexpensive robotic buddy for their kids, a new study suggests.
Genome-wide association studies have great potential for advancing our understanding of the genetic background of diseases, but so far, few association studies have focused on maternal and newborn diseases, and most have been based on predominantly European populations. To fill these gaps, researchers generated and analyzed full-genome DNA sequences from non-invasive prenatal blood tests collected from over 25,000 pregnant women, all of whom were Han Chinese.
Study probes how eating less can extend lifespan
Researchers tracked the health of nearly one thousand mice on a variety of diets to see if these diets would extend the mice's lifespan. The study was designed to ensure that each mouse was genetically distinct, which allowed the team to better represent the genetic diversity of the human population. By doing so, the results are made more clinically relevant, elevating the study to one of the most significant investigations into aging and lifespan to date.
Nature and plastics inspire breakthrough in soft sustainable materials
Using peptides and a snippet of the large molecules in plastics, materials scientists have developed materials made of tiny, flexible nano-sized ribbons that can be charged just like a battery to store energy or record digital information.
Ultra-sensitive robotic 'finger' can take patient pulses, check for lumps
Researchers have developed a soft robotic 'finger' with a sophisticated sense of touch that can perform routine doctor office examinations, including taking a patient's pulse and checking for abnormal lumps.
Over 160,000 new viruses discovered by AI
161,979 new RNA viruses have been discovered using a machine learning tool that researchers believe will vastly improve the mapping of life on Earth and could aid in the identification of many millions more viruses yet to be characterized.
A matter of taste: Electronic tongue reveals AI 'inner thoughts'
Researchers recently developed electronic tongue capable of identifying differences in similar liquids, such as milk with varying water content; diverse products, including soda types and coffee blends; signs of spoilage in fruit juices; and instances of food safety concerns. They found that results were even more accurate when artificial intelligence used its own assessment parameters to interpret the data generated by the electronic tongue.
Another step towards decoding smell
We often only realize how important our sense of smell is when it is no longer there: food is not as tasty as it once was, or we no longer react to dangers such as the smell of smoke. Researchers have investigated the neuronal mechanisms of human odor perception for the first time. Individual nerve cells in the brain recognize odors and react specifically to the smell, the image and the written word of an object, for example a banana. The results of this study close a long-standing knowledge gap between animal and human odor research.
A new article shares findings from an extensive literature analysis of AI's current trajectory in health care.
Atomic-level mechanism in polycrystalline materials
Researchers show that for the first time they have achieved atomic-scale observations of grain rotation in polycrystalline materials. Using state-of-the-art microscopy tools, the scientists were able to heat samples of platinum nanocrystalline thin films and observe the mechanism driving grain rotation in unprecedented detail.
Team engineers new enzyme to produce synthetic genetic material
A research team describes how they engineered an efficient new enzyme that can produce a synthetic genetic material called threose nucleic acid. The ability to synthesize artificial chains of TNA, which is inherently more stable than DNA, advances the discovery of potentially more powerful, precise therapeutic options to treat cancer and autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases.
Asymmetric placebo effect in response to spicy food
The expectations humans have of a pleasurable sensation asymmetrically shape neuronal responses and subjective experiences to hot sauce, according to a new study.
Researchers have just described the existence of the paradoxical Mpemba effect within quantum systems. Initially investigating out of pure curiosity, the discovery has bridged the gap between Aristotle's observations two millennia ago and modern-day understanding, and opened the door to a whole host of 'cool' -- and 'cooling' -- implications.
Holographic 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize multiple industries
Researchers have developed a novel method of 3D printing that uses acoustic holograms. The process is called holographic direct sound printing (HDSP). It builds on a method introduced in 2022 that described how sonochemical reactions in microscopic cavitations regions -- tiny bubbles -- create extremely high temperatures and pressure for trillionths of a second to harden resin into complex patterns. Now, by embedding the technique in acoustic holograms that contain cross-sectional images of a particular design, polymerization occurs much more quickly. It can create objects simultaneously rather than voxel-by-voxel.
Solar-powered desalination system requires no extra batteries
Engineers built a solar-powered desalination system that produces large quantities of clean water despite variations in sunlight throughout the day. Because it requires no extra batteries, it offers a much more affordable way to produce drinking water, compared to other solar-driven designs.
Rates of a tick-borne parasitic disease are on the rise
Rates of babesiosis, a tick-borne parasitic disease, increased an average of 9% per year in the United States between 2015 and 2022 and four in 10 patients were found to be co-infected with another tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease, according to a new study.
Climate report warns of escalating crisis, urges immediate action as UN summit nears
New insights into how Mars became uninhabitable
NASA's Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life -- with evidence for widespread liquid water on the surface -- to a surface that is inhospitable to terrestrial life as we know it.
New research shows that international conservation efforts account for approximately 10 percent of fish stocks on coral reefs.
Antarctic 'greening' at dramatic rate
Vegetation cover across the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold over the last four decades, new research shows.
Winds of change: James Webb Space Telescope reveals elusive details in young star systems
Planet-forming disks, maelstroms of gas and dust swirling around young stars, are nurseries that give rise to planetary systems, including our solar system. Astronomers have discovered new details of gas flows that sculpt those disks and shape them over time.
Scientists discover a secret to regulating our body clock, offering new approach to end jet lag
Scientists have discovered the secret to regulating our internal clock. They identified that this regulator sits right at the tail end of Casein Kinase 1 delta, a protein which acts as a pace setter for our internal biological clock or the natural 24-hour cycles that control sleep-wake patterns and other daily functions, known as circadian rhythm.
Autobiographical memory in the digital age: Our lives in the mirror of our data
Never before have people recorded more information about their lives than today. But what does this mean for the way we remember our lives and how we talk about them? Researchers are trying to find answers to these questions.
Researchers confront new US and global challenges in vaccinations of adults
Over the past decade, decreasing vaccination rates now threaten the huge beneficial impacts of vaccinations in the U.S. and globally. Researchers discuss the multifactorial barriers including increasing vaccine hesitancy and new clinical and public health challenges in vaccinations of U.S. adults.
Space oddity: Most distant rotating disc galaxy found
Researchers have discovered the most distant Milky-Way-like galaxy yet observed. Dubbed REBELS-25, this disc galaxy seems as orderly as present-day galaxies, but we see it as it was when the Universe was only 700 million years old. This is surprising since, according to our current understanding of galaxy formation, such early galaxies are expected to appear more chaotic.
After injury, these comb jellies can fuse to become one
Researchers have made the surprising discovery that one species of comb jelly (Mnemiopsis leidyi) can fuse, such that two individuals readily turn into one following an injury. Afterwards, they rapidly synchronize their muscle contractions and merge digestive tracts to share food.
Commonly used arm positions can substantially overestimate blood pressure readings
Researchers conclude that commonly used ways of positioning the patient's arm during blood pressure (BP) screenings can substantially overestimate test results and may lead to a misdiagnosis of hypertension.
Scientists discover that special immune cells stop metastatic cancer
Researchers have discovered a natural immune mechanism in mice that stops escaped cancer cells from developing into tumors elsewhere in the body.